Antisemitism in the fSU' - the UCSJ publication
Date: Fri, 04 Jul 97 21:07:46 -0500
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Subject: Antisemitism in the fSU' - the UCSJ publication
From: MINELRES moderator \ Internet: ([email protected])
'Antisemitism in the fSU' - UCSJ publication
Dear colleagues,
Right today I had a look at this book - of course, couldn't read it more or
less thoroughly. The following announcement is taken from the UCSJ website.
Boris
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Union of Councils for Soviet Jews: UCSJ releases report: 'Antisemitism in
the former Soviet Union, 1995-1997'
"For those interested in promoting and protecting human rights in the former
communist world, 'Antisemitism in the Former Soviet Union, 1995-1997' is a
sobering reminder that there is still much work left to be done."
- Professor Michael McFaul, Dept. of Political Science, Stanford University
"The Union of Councils' report is the latest and the most comprehensive
account of antisemitic activity in the former Soviet republics."
-Semyon Reznik, former Soviet refugee and author of 'The Nazification of
Russia: Antisemitism in the Post-Soviet Era"
The most comprehensive report on antisemitism in the post-Soviet republics
since the fall of the USSR was released on Tuesday, June 17. The 266-page
'Antisemitism in the Former Soviet Union, 1995-1997', published by the Union
of Councils for Soviet Jews (UCSJ), focuses on antisemitic, ultra-
nationalist, and authoritarian activity in the former Soviet Union (FSU).
The report contains analysis from UCSJ's monitoring network, detailing
xenophobic acts and anti-democratic movements in twelve FSU states that have
received scant attention in the Western media.
Additionally, it includes original essays on extremist groups, governmental
complicity with such organizations, and the absence of the rule of law, as
well as translations of antisemitic articles and
leaflets that have proliferated throughout the FSU.
Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, after reading an advance copy,
wrote that "the antisemitic incidents detailed in [UCSJ's] report are cause
for serious concern - I will pass the information to
our embassies and consulates and ask that they consider it as they follow
future developments."
White House National Security Advisor Samuel R. Berger, similarly commended
UCSJ's report, writing, "Your efforts to provide information regarding human
rights, religious persecution and
antisemitism in the countries of the former USSR are appreciated.
Organizations like yours have helped develop public understanding of the
difficult transition from totalitarianism to democracy which is
currently under way in Russia and other New Independent States."
According to UCSJ President Yosef I. Abramowitz, this report was undertaken
because "the consensus in the West, even within the Jewish community, is
that antisemitism in the FSU has been on the wane since the fall of the
Soviet Union in 1991."
But Abramowitz argued that "the lack of progress in combating human rights
abuses, including antisemitism, raises serious questions as to the
reliability of these countries as civil societies and democratic allies."
Moreover, he hoped that this report will encourage U.S. lawmakers, through
an aggressive foreign policy, to hold FSU states to the human rights
covenants they signed.
"We urge President Clinton and Congress to review the policies that lead
many U.S. embassies in the FSU to sacrifice human rights advocacy on the
altar of trade policy," Abramowitz concluded.
UCSJ National Director Micah H. Naftalin stated, "This report is the badly
needed antidote to the complacency about Russian antisemitism that has
developed in the West, even among Jewish leaders and media. Despite
improvements in former Soviet Jews' rights to emigrate and practice their
religion, Jew-hatred continues to pervade the social, political, and
governmental institutions of former Soviet societies. Attention must be paid
to this 'report from the front' by the primary grassroots organization that
is still providing systematic monitoring of antisemitism in the FSU."
To order a complimentary copy of 'Antisemitism in the Former Soviet Union,
1995-1997' for your organization, contact Jason B. Silberberg at 202-775-
9770 x16, or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Copyright 1997, Union of Councils of Soviet Jews. UCSJ is a member of <"http
://www.shamash.org"> Shamash, the Jewish Internet Consortium.
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